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Let’s Get Visual, Steve Petra DVD
Reviewed by Karl Jeffery
I
first knew of Steve Petra, 4 years ago when I stumbled across some YouTube clips
of him performing with Axtell puppets. Those clips were packed with original
material and very funny. It struck me then that Steve was a naturally creative
performer who pursued his own ideas and innovations rather than following what
the rest of the flock was doing.
I contacted him towards the end of 2011 to ask why he’d never considered
releasing some guidance material for entertainers who use puppets. I was
delighted to learn that he was putting something out early the next year. His
unique vision is now available as an instructional DVD titled ‘Lets Get Visual’,
and in it he shares the secrets of his success.
If you’ve never seen Steve Petra before, your first impressions could be that of
a mad scientist type figure who doesn’t own a razor. He’s the first to admit he
looks like a gorilla. I always wondered what went on inside that hairy head of
his. After watching ‘Lets Get Visual’ I feel I have a better understanding of
his creative process and much more appreciation for his imagination, and
determination to bring his creations to life.
You don’t get a crash course on how to do ventriloquism, or how to manipulate
puppets. Instead Steve goes straight to the heart and concentrates on what makes
routines with puppets entertaining.
He explains the eight elements that make his shows a success. He describes each
one in detail, sharing what he calls the ingredients to ‘Visual Puppet Gumbo’.
Using these ingredients keeps the audience involved the whole way through, which
is essential for any entertainer, not just the ones with puppets.
It’s not so much the skills, but how to apply certain factors to a puppet
performance in order to get the best reactions from the audience. Understanding
exactly what these are and how to apply them will help many take a short cut
from the usual steep learning curve that performance experience brings. What
Steve took many years to learn, he kindly shares in one hour and twenty minutes.
Each ingredient is road tested through a series of 6 puppet routines, all filmed
in front of a live audience. You get to see for yourself how his theory works,
and begin to get a sense of how it could make a difference to your own
performance. The routines feature characters that are instantly entertaining,
and routines so visual you daren’t take your eyes off through fear of missing
something.
Besides learning how a puppet with its own agenda or how a puppet interacting
with its environment can increase the entertainment value enormously, there are
tons of other great insights. Steve is renowned for his visual stage appearance.
I’m not referring to his body hair, but to his eye catching boxes, labels, and
other curious props which carefully share his stage. Petra explains how he
constructs some of the props that his puppets use, the reasons for their
existence and how they contribute to the entertainment.
Without any hesitations, and perhaps like a mad scientist, Steve also talks us
through some of the modifications that he’s made to his already perfect Axtell
puppets, and by doing so has actually enhanced their abilities to perform even
further. An added bonus to these little tips is the modifications are very
simple and can be done for very little cost.
The sharing goes deep into the handling techniques for magic moments, such as
the banana volcano from a puppet’s mouth, perpetual egg productions from the
jaws of a dragon, and how to get 20 hot dogs from a small fish which fills the
whole stage (you have to see it to believe it).
One of the most valuable parts of the DVD for me, which I almost over looked, is
Steve’s anecdote about having his show critiqued by a respected fellow
professional. He reveals the content of that feedback, plus the improvements he
made as a result. One thing he did, which is another shining example of his
genius, was to create a living universe inside a bucket. He performs alongside
this bucket with devastating effect. Watching a live performance of this in
action it was evident the audience were absorbed as much as Steve. If you’ve
never tried something like this it will bring a brand new dimension to your act
that in turn spins an entirely new level of entertainment and performance
ability. Its beautiful, having a whole new living world within a bucket (or any
other type of container) at your fingertips, that you can open, close and
interact with at will.
The asking price of the DVD is spot on. For those who perform or want to perform
with puppets, ‘Lets Get Visual’ will inspire you further. For entertainers in
general, there is a lot of shared wisdom which I’m certain would also be
beneficial. I’ve made my living performing with puppets for a number of years
now and my reactions to what Steve shared were ‘why didn’t I think of that’, or
‘Wow, I want to do something like that!’
Steve is one of those lucky individuals who you want to call a genius. He’s
clearly blessed with a vivid imagination and the ability to give life to his
‘dreams’. Equally he has a natural ability to transform his creations into solid
routines and use them in the real world to entertain audiences young and old.
Should you chose to buy a copy, you won’t be disappointed.
The 'Let's Get Visual' DVD, by Steve Petra, is exclusively available from Axtell
Expressions
www.axtell.com/vidins.html
© Karl Jeffery, February 2012